Weekly flights between Kathmandu and New Delhi elevated from two to 6: Report

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By PTI

KATHMANDU: The nationwide flag carriers of Nepal and India have elevated the variety of weekly flights from two at current to 6 on the Kathmandu-Delhi route beneath the air bubble association between the 2 international locations, a media report quoted Nepal’s civil aviation physique as saying.

Presently, the companies stay capped as a result of an air bubble association between Nepal and India that enables one weekly flight in both path amidst the journey restrictions as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

There was a rise in demand for tickets with an exponential rise within the variety of outbound passengers from Kathmandu, largely travelling for medical therapy, and passengers have been scrambling to get tickets on the route, the busiest and probably the most profitable one for the airways.

Raj Kumar Chettri, the spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, instructed the Kathmandu Submit on Sunday that Nepal Airways and Air India have been permitted to function three flights per week every and shall be efficient from Monday.

Whereas, as per the authorised schedule, Air India will function flights on the sector on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, whereas Nepal Airways, which operates companies each Wednesday, is but to get the slot approval from India’s civil aviation regulator, the report mentioned.

In December final 12 months, Nepal and India entered into an air bubble settlement, a devoted flight service between the 2 international locations following strict well being and security protocols set by the authorities of the respective international locations.

“Each carriers—Nepal Airways and Air India—utilized to lift their frequencies on Sunday after the federal government determined to extend the frequencies within the sector. We now have authorised their working permits accordingly,” mentioned Chettri.

Nevertheless, in response to Chettri, beneath the air bubble association, different airways in India are nonetheless restricted to function on the Kathmandu-New Delhi route.

India’s low-cost service IndiGo and startup service Vistara have additionally utilized to function in Nepal.

Demand for tickets on the Kathmandu-Delhi route has been going off the charts, and airfares have been hovering as a result of restricted frequencies, the report mentioned.

Journey companies have reported that the value of a seat on a flight to Delhi has reached Rs 50,000, nearly six occasions the conventional value as a result of flights between the 2 neighbours haven’t been elevated regardless of a large surge in journey demand.

Flight frequencies on different worldwide sectors have returned to near-normal ranges, the report mentioned.

Dim Prasad Poudel, managing director of Nepal Airways, mentioned they’d instantly apply for the slot at Delhi airport as soon as they obtain the approval letter from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority.

Shyam Raj Thapaliya, managing director of Osho World Nepal, one of many main journey companies in Nepal, mentioned as many of the embassies primarily based in Kathmandu have began issuing visas from New Delhi, travellers need to go to the Indian capital to get their entry permits, leading to a journey rush.

“Many Nepalis are additionally travelling to Delhi for medical therapy,” he mentioned.

On April 29, the Nepal authorities introduced a second lockdown.

It restricted home flights from midnight of Might 3 and worldwide flights from midnight of Might 6 because the second wave of COVID-19 gripped the nation.

Whereas all worldwide scheduled flights connecting Kathmandu have been ordered to halt, the federal government determined to proceed with the 2 flights per week on the Kathmandu-Delhi route.


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